Australian saber
| Australian saber | ||||||||||||
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Red-headed saber ( Pomatostomus ruficeps ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pomatostomidae | ||||||||||||
| Schodde , 1975 |
The australsabers (Pomatostomidae), formerly also known as sickle teal , are a family of songbirds whose distribution is limited to New Guinea and Australia and consists of only five species in two genera. They were previously placed with the Timaliae (Timaliidae) and are indeed morphologically very similar to some of these. According to genetic findings, however, they do not even belong to the Passerida , but to the basal Australian-oceanic groups of songbirds. None of the species contained is threatened.
description
The Australsabers are about 17-27 cm in size from starlings to jays and have an elongated body with short, broad and rounded wings and a stepped tail with a rounded tip. The bill is quite long, pointed and bent down, the legs and feet are strong. The plumage colors are rather muted and consist mainly of brown, reddish brown or gray tones. Most species show a conspicuous, light stripe above the eyes . Only the bag saber is relatively monochrome reddish brown.
Way of life
The Australsabers mostly inhabit semi-open landscapes such as tree savannas, bushland and floodplains. One species is also found in forests and secondary vegetation. They feed mainly on invertebrates , but occasionally also on seeds, fruits and small vertebrates. Most of the food is sought on the ground, but sometimes also in low bushes and trees.
Little is known about reproduction, but two species - the gray-headed saber and the peek-a-boo - have been studied relatively well. The birds appear to be in a permanent monogamous marriage, but breed together, with a couple being supported by several helpers. A group occupies a communal territory in which there are breeding and sleeping nests. The birds in a group sometimes spend the night together in a nest. This is a rather voluminous, spherical building with a tunnel-shaped entrance. In the bag saber, the nest can reach 1–2 m in diameter, in the gray-headed saber it is much smaller at 30–50 cm.
Genera and species
- Genus Garritornis
- Beutelsäbler or Beuteljahoo ( Garritornis isidorei ) - lowlands of New Guinea and some surrounding islands
- Genus Jahoos ( Pomatostomus )
- Gray-headed saber or gray-headed yahoo ( Pomatostomus temporalis ) - southern New Guinea and large parts of Australia
- Soot-bellied saber ( Pomatostomus halli ) - east-central Australia
- Pomegranate ( Pomatostomus superciliosus ) - Southern Australia
- Red- crowned saber ( Pomatostomus ruficeps ) - Southeastern Australia
literature
- Jamie Matthew: Pomatostomidae (Australasian Babblers) in Del Hoyo et al .: Handbook of the Birds of the World , Vol. 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees (2007, revision June 2013), pp. 322f
